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negativism

[ neg-uh-ti-viz-uhm ]
/ ˈnɛg ə tɪˌvɪz əm /
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See synonyms for: negativism / negativistic on Thesaurus.com

noun
a negative or pessimistic attitude.
Psychology. a tendency to resist external commands, suggestions, or expectations, or internal stimuli, as hunger, by doing nothing or something contrary or unrelated to the stimulus.
any system of negative philosophy, as agnosticism or skepticism.
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Origin of negativism

First recorded in 1815–25; negative + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM negativism

neg·a·tiv·ist, nounneg·a·tiv·is·tic, adjectivenon·neg·a·tiv·ism, nounnon·neg·a·tiv·is·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use negativism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for negativism

negativism
/ (ˈnɛɡətɪvˌɪzəm) /

noun
a tendency to be or a state of being unconstructively critical
any sceptical or derisive system of thought
psychiatry refusal to do what is expected or suggested or the tendency to do the opposite

Derived forms of negativism

negativist, noun, adjectivenegativistic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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